Ash blinked rapidly, staring at Gary, who donned a white labcoat and had an Elekid beside him. The little Pokémon's plug-like extensions coming from it's head started sparking, though it hid behind Gary's leg. The brunette bent down to soothe the small Pokèmon and stroked the back of it's head.
"It's okay, Ellie. Ash won't hurt you. He's too nice for that," he jested as his eyes met the other male's.
After the Elekid scurried away, Ash completely faced Gary as his face blanched slightly. Before he could open his mouth, the amateur Professor spoke.
"Grandpa passed a few weeks ago," Gary said, turning his head to look out the window where the Pokémon were playing, "I didn't expect him to go so soon... But anyway, I'm the Professor now."
"I'm sorry for your loss," Ash replied, scratching his cheek, unsure of how to react.
"Why didn't you come home for the services?" Gary asked, looking at Ash with accusatory eyes.
He really did not have the heart to tell Gary that he had to move around constantly because of the battling rings and that it was hard to keep in contact with him.
"I-I didn't know," Ash admitted, looking at the floor.
"I see," replied Gary in a clipped tone, "How can I help you?"
"I-I need to pick up some Pokémon," Ash replied, "Pikachu's really sick and all of my other Pokémon are here."
"Don't tell me you're caught up in those battling rings too?" Gary snapped, narrowing his eyes.
Ash said nothing and instead shifted on his feet and moved forward slightly to place a hand on Gary's shoulder. Gary shoved Ash away, slapping his hand off of his shoulder.
"What happened to you?" Gary hissed, "You used to be such a good person..."
"You don't understand!" Ash growled, crossing his arms over his chest, "I was investigating the rings when Pikachu got severely hurt! I was not going to let him die. I'm going to find the leader and get revenge for Pikachu!"
Gary's eyebrow quirked slightly as he mimicked Ash's posture, "Ash, we are beyond childish revenge games. We're adults. I refuse to release any of your Pokémon to you unless someone else will validate your story."
"They're MY Pokémon!" Ash growled, "They are loyal to ME. I am their trainer, no matter how long it's been since we've last battled together."
"Yes, I understand," Gary said calmly, "But as a Professor and human being, I cannot release them to you because they could get severely hurt, like Pikachu."
"There's a human life at stake!" Ash interjected, balling his hands into fists, "Do you want an innocent kid to die?!"
Gary stepped back slightly, taken aback by Ash's outburst. He was starting to see the boy that he knew as a kid: hotheaded, passionate and concerned about everyone. The brunette frowned slightly, feeling his protests die in his throat. He could hardly blame the other for being so emotional; his closest and best friend was sick and injured. Gary's eyes drifted back the window, where he saw Elekid giving chase after Ash's Infernape, who had been roped into watching the little electric Pokémon somehow. A forlorn smile crossed Gary's face; he knew exactly how Ash felt at that moment.
"I'm sorry for snapping at you," Gary said, turning his eyes back to Ash's, "I'm still kind of sensitive. A family death takes a lot out of you, ya know?"
Ash simply nodded, a grim and pained expression crossing his features, "I understand. Well, I don't know what you're feeling, but you know what I mean..."
"Which ones do you need?" Gary asked, beckoning for Ash to follow him to the back door of the lab.
"Well, I was thinking about taking Bulbasaur and Swellow. I'm going to get Charizard and Squirtle," Ash replied, smiling a little as Bulbasaur stopped what he was doing and trotted over to Ash.
"Bulba," Bulbasaur said, wrapping his vines around Ash's leg as a greeting.
"Hey buddy," Ash said, wincing as he bent down to pat the green Pokémon on the head, "You want to go fight some crime?"
Bulbasaur looked at Ash with eager and determined eyes while nodding. Ash smiled, reaching in his pocket for a Pokéball for Bulbasuar to stay in. He felt something smack the back of his head and looked down to see a small bag of Pokéballs and turned around to see Gary with a small smirk on his face.
"Figured you might need these."
"Thanks."
Bulbasaur hesitated a moment before going into the Pokéball. Ash mouthed 'I'll explain later' to the observant plant Pokémon. Bulbasaur nodded and jumped into the Pokéball without another word. A fluttering of wings made Ash look up to see Swellow hovering over his head. He smiled and held out another Pokéball, which the navy and red bird Pokémon swooped into effortlessly. He shrunk the two balls with the press of a button and placed them in his pocket, seeing as he had no other place to put them. He grabbed the other Pokéballs and also placed them in his pocket, moving some to his right pocket because the weight in his left one made his limp more noticeable. He looked over at his human friend, who looked slightly concerned.
"Why don't you take another Pokémon with you?" Gary asked, tilting his head.
"I'll be okay," Ash replied, smiling weakly.
Elekid toddled into Ash's line of vision, followed by Infernape. The fire monkey looked at Ash with a gentle smile as Gary picked up the little electric Pokémon.
"Take Infernape with you, please," Gary insisted, looking at Ash with a worried expression, "You don't know what you're up against."
The fire Pokémon looked eagerly at it's trainer, smiling slightly. Ash smiled back at the Pokémon as it approached. Before he could speak, Infernape reached into Ash's pocket and jumped into the Pokéball it had pulled out. Ash chuckled, shaking his head. He took one last look around the lab grounds, where Pokémon frolicked freely. Ash noted that Gary had placed Elekid down nearby and it teetered off to play with Ash's Torkoal.
"I see why you enjoy this," Ash said to Gary, watching as a small Charmander toddled by, "It's beautiful to just watch them in nature."
Gary chuckled at the tiny Charmander's antics and picked it up, rubbing it's head. He looked to Ash and nodded, looking back out at the Taruos that roamed toward the back of the field. He murmured something that the injured trainer did not quite catch and the raven-haired male shrugged, watching the way his friend pet the Charmander he was holding with gentleness.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Gary asked abruptly, shaking Ash from his reverie, "You have a world to save, Ketchum. Don't dawdle any longer."
Ash chuckled, extending his hand to Gary, who shook it with a good-natured smile on his face. Ash then jogged through the lab building and out of Pallet Town. After reaching the tall grass, he stopped on the top of a hill. He overlooked his hometown, which seemed peaceful and familiar, despite some recent tragedies. With a final wave, Ash departed for the Charizard Valley.